Rain, rain and yet MORE rain

8.12.14

Holy smokes- we have had Lots of rain this summer ! In fact it is raining today, which is why I'm getting caught up on things. I really hope this doesn't equate to the amount of snow coming this winter. Pastures are green as can be, and I've been mowing weeds- plus Grass, thanks to all of it.

Been a bit of a bad / stressful month here at the farm..... Our little American Draft Pony, Rose, started it all with runny manure and a fever. Called in the vet who said it may well be just the beginnings of Potomac Horse Fever. ( spread by Mayflies of which there are millions this year) Luckily Rose eats anything put in front of her ( another reason she's a little "fluffy")and gobbled down her medicine with ease. It was a week before she began making cow floppy piles and another couple of days before she was back to her bothersome antics again. She's fine now- but then Lynn came down w/ the same symptoms. By then I knew what was going on and started her on the Doxycycline too. A few days of crampy fever and sloppy manure, and she was getting better too. All of the girls were on this for 10 days, with pain-killers/ anti inflammatories if needed. I'm so glad I have learned to keep copious notes & info in the past. Due to having three horses feeling bad, keeping track of temps, meds and more, I've got it all written down !

Last was my sweet Cherry.... she would Not touch her feed tub if it had anything But grain in it. Soooooooooo- she had a 'cocktail' in a dose syringe each evening. She too, is finally feeling better - temperature is down, she's eating ( yelling to me from her pasture to "HURRY UP !") and soon she too will be all done w/ treatment.  Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

The two peeps are growing like weeds. Widgets' peep is taller than she is by now. A young fellow wanted to name her, and her official name is "Patricia". I have no idea where he came up with that, but lets' hope Patricia IS a hen ! Reminds me of that song, " A Boy Named Sue'' ??  Hotwheels' peep is a lovely white w/ black/ grey feathers intermingled- very pretty. Again- not totally sure if it's a he or a she... stay tuned for baby's practicing a crow. *( ugh- don't want any roosters)

Other than rain, we've had a lot of lessons going on-  working students and paying students. Slowly getting winters hay stored up in the loft.... thank gosh this wonderful farmer contacted me about buying hay last year ! It is Gorgeous and makes the barn smell delicious. ( yes- only a horse woman enjoys that smell)

The working students and myself held a Horse Wash a couple of weeks ago. Almost all of the horses here got a much needed bath . We were all wet and filthy afterwards, but the horses were gorgeous.

We are planning an End of Summer Barn Bash soon. That should be great fun- pizzas', drinks, and a sleep over for those who want to stay. I imagine there will be folks in the hayloft, and all over the tack room floor, trying to sleep. I'm not going to be there- I'll be in my nice soft bed ! Getting to creaky for sleeping on floors any more.

Hope your summer has gone perfectly- ours sure has. (well, Other than sick equines of three).

Alex tries out the new foaming horse shampoo-er.

Abby had her turn also....

But she decided to shake her soapy mane at everyone !

Cherry was a princess , as usual.

the chickens were wondering if it was dinnertime, what with all of the people here

Rosie was so dirty, one could 'write' their name on her side.

the end results were Wonderful ! 

Below is Abby n' Meghan.

 Cherry has gorgeous dapples...

love this head shot of Cherry.

The greys are almost a bright silver:

Lynn

then BoJangles

 Lynn out in the ring...

last but not least, Rose !

VENT !!!!

7.9.14

Whoa, two posts in one day !

For those who are not wise as to the life of a horse person, I'll tell you a few things..  firstly, even though I can take some time "off" during the day, I have to be here all but 24/7 . Horses are like that- they need feed, stalls cleaned, water to drink and a lot more. If a horse gets sick- then whatever I'd had planned goes right out the window ( mind you- this usually happens on a Friday evening of a 3 day holiday weekend). I have had to cancel dates, parties, friends getting together and some really fun formal balls in the past. Most folks who own horses and do not board them will understand this. We do Not have time to waste on "no shows".

Twice now, just recently, I have had people call about boarding a horse here. One was all but frantic and the other had been fed up with the lack of care where their horses lived at the moment. BOTH made appointments with me, so they could meet me, see the barn, ask questions, etc....  BOTH of them even called me back to make sure they'd written the day / time correctly.

So I hang around and wait. Sure, there were many many other things I'd planned on getting done that afternoon, but noooooooooooo- I waited. Mowing was needing done, I have to drop some harness parts off to be repaired, and more. Let alone possibly taking a little road trip with my husband....

No One showed up- No One bothered to call to say they were not coming, nothing. To me ? That is Rude. I don't have spare time to sit around, waiting for people who don't have the good manners to let another know ( hello- cell phones in every single hand now a days ). And I sat here, patiently waiting and wasting yet another afternoon on a rude person to show up.

Bad Weather

7.9.14

Wow, did central PA have some wicked weather yesterday afternoon !   I was playing around on Facebook ( yep- we have a farm page there too) and all of a sudden, frantic alerts began... from local weather stations. Generally, it was letting us know of a line of very bad thunderstorms on their way.Reports of lightning strikes, trees down, high winds, and a lot of rain.... Then, tornado warnings began. Hello ????  Tornados in central Pennsylvania ????

Lo and behold, there really was one- and while it did some damage, I do not believe anyone was seriously injured. Here on the farm, we had two sessions of winds/ rain before it all blew over and blue skies / sunshine appeared.

 All in all, a scary late afternoon, but here, it all was good . As I was keeping track of the storms, etc, Piper trotted into my office, and it turns out he'd found something wonderful on the floor :

From now on, I will be impatiently waiting for Autumn. Stay cool everyone, and safe !

Whewwwwwww

7.1.14

It is HOT today. I think summer has finally arrived full force. We had been getting some 'warning' hot weather, but now ? Yep, it's here to stay.

A busy month - riding lessons, chores to get done and lots and lots of weed mowing. Turns out, our lawn tractor finally died....  it's engine froze and we had to buy a new one.  I was a good two weeks behind- so for me ? Mow, mow, and then ? Mow some more. The pastures look super now, but for one. I love the new tractor !

All of the equines have been doing great so far, as are the chickens. Ending up with just two white peeps, their mom's have been being good parents. HotWheels has what I believe is Widgets' chick because it is SO small... but HotWheels loves it any who.She's the one who sat n' sat to hatch it out, so of course, it's Hers! Doesn't matter who laid that egg, but who sat on them. Same w/ Widget- her peep is pure white, telling me that it's half Plymouth Rock and half Orpington : LARGE peepie.
It seems that The Girls have learned that at feeding time for the horses, it is also dinner time for them !   They see me coming out of the house, and come a' runnin.

Then we all walk Back up the lane together.....

Below is RC trying to be Incognito- but it didn't work, I saw him anyways.

I was taking some photos the other day- this is the barn in summer...

Today Taylor and Alex had their lessons together. Rose is quite stubborn and so it Alex.  Cherry is a little fearsome, but Taylor is quick to praise her for being so brave. Perfect matches for Both ponies and teenagers. It has been so hot in the afternoons, I'd not been doing much driving, but I don't have a trailer so why be in a big hurry to get fit ponies ? Ah well, stay tuned on THAT one.

I have had to change my feeding practices it seems. These two draft ponies can live on grass easily ! While they both look incredibly gorgeous, they are a little, ummmmmmmm, "fluffy". They are both on diets now and still looking great. I am really enjoying owning them.

We have been invited over to a friend's farm to watch a fun show there , the last of July. I'm going to take the camera and get some photos - plus we'll all go to clap n' cheer as an audience! 

!

Sadie has been enjoying the sunshine but not so much the heat.... Piper doesn't seem to really care-

 Lynn n' BoJangles standing in front of the barn.....
 they catch the cool breeze that comes thru the aisle.

They enjoy being cool, too.

Thats about it for now- stay tuned and stay cool.

Mid June catch-ups.

Hope your early summer has been good. So far, mine has not.....

About 3 weeks ago or so, Cherry n' I headed to the ring to drive a little bit. Some pals were there, taking some photos and I believe a short video. We were doing fine until I drove over an old traffic cone.  Having totally forgotten that this 'easy entry' pony cart was Much lower to the ground than my draft carts, the cone got caught under my seat and got dragged for a few feet. Well, that's all it took for Cherry to feel the resistance, and that noise and then to react. Seconds, actually. She began kicking the cart, and bucking to get free, and as we veered a sharp left, the cart flipped over to the right, with me tumbling out of it. She proceeded to do maybe 3-4 galloping rounds about the ring, fighting to free herself from the now "Monster" that had her in it's grip. Finally she stopped up by the gate, and let us get close to her. The poor old cart had had the worst part of it, Cherry had a few minor scrapes, and incredibly, the harness was scuffed and only the breeching strap over her hips had torn some threads ! We were ALL very lucky. Thank goodness I'd worn that helmet that always has made me look incredibly dumb... it saved my head, which smacked the ground pretty hard.

Got the cart sort of repaired enough to use it , and as I ground drove Cherry, my friends held the shafts of the cart up behind her. She was VERY scared, but did alright. There was no way of re-hitching her, so we let it go at that. We doctored all of her boo-boos, and washed the sweat off of her and walked her until she was cool. I know she had to have been bruised, but when I checked her, she didn't really show much discomfort.

Then, the next week, I thought to ask a working student if she'd like to ride Cherry. Sure, she'd like to. Got Cherry tacked up and the gal up in the saddle. She had Just turned Cherry around to head down the aisle a little, when all hell broke loose. Cherry turned into a 14hh bucking rodeo horse !  Tossed the gal on the hard aisleway floor, and ran into her stall, totally in fear of being hit. The gal was alright, albeit a little sore on her behind from landing so hard.  Again- thank goodness !  I checked Cherry later on and discovered a very sore spot right behind her withers. It took that long to show itself.

So Cherry got a couple of weeks 'off' to get over it all, and when I took her down to the ring to do some ground driving, she was scared to be there. We practiced going around and thru the cones. Once she got over the initial fear,  she settled down and started thinking again. We have gone right back to the beginning again w/ both ponies in training. De-sensitation BIG time- giant blue tarps, tossing cones all over and under them both, as well as many other 'scary' items. Cherry was more than frightened of it all, but Rose ?  She all but yawned in boredom. Still she's going to drag a big truck tire and much more before I hitch either pony again. I have done this with All of the horses I've trained to drive and never had such a fear incident happen before. I'd been told she knew about being driven and had been worked steadily up to last Fall. Lesson learned- and the next time my poor little banged up cart is used, there won't be a chance for a run-away pony trying to kill it again.

So far so good... just a pretty miserable way to spend a humid summer instead of teaching a new pony to become a dressage type..... < sigh >

It seems we had two little peepies hatched from Liza and Widget about a week ago. Widgets' peep is going to be pure white, and Lizas' was to be like Chocolate. She's a Buckeye hen.... chocolate brown with iridescence on her wings. Really quite beautiful.  Sadly last night, Liza had taken her little one into Breeze's stall to peck at misc. items, and as I led Breeze into it, she was so startled by the two chickens, that she jumped and kicked out at them. Liza had a torn toenail which bled pretty well, but her little peepie had the fuzz taken right off it's little bottom. I had hopes that it would pull thru as it was walking around alright when I left them in the "nursery" ( all clean and fresh with water and feed in it) over night. Alas, this morning, I found Liza attempting to keep it warm and with a very cold dead baby. I feel SO terrible over this- if only I'd been more careful about where Liza had gone...

Other than those items, the month has gone along alright. The heat/ humidity of summer has arrived at long last, and no one in the barn is happy about it. Even the horses don't like being sweaty all the time. The drafters are happily in their stalls w/ their box fans on, and the "long tailed" horses are all outside grazing.

We  have planned a mini summer camp here in July and August... Let's hope someone shows interest. Lost another boarder but ended up owning her mare. I've always liked the mare, and now she's mine. She will be a big asset for lessons , I am sure.

Tomorrow begins the " pony" lessons for those two gals who've proven themselves as responsible working students. It should be an interesting morning.
I'll try to get photos at least ! Stay tuned..... In the meantime, stay cool, all.


below are photos of Liza and her peep at one day old, then Widget and her peep.

What's been going on here.

5/9/14

Whew,  A LOT has been going on here. First- spring decided to arrive ever so pleasantly with warmer temperatures, sunshine, and the occasional shower. ( It IS true that April showers do bring May flowers , you know)

Horses have been shedding like mad, blowing winter coats All over the farm. There were giant Percheron "angels" left in the fields - big white patches from where they'd rolled in the dirt. Smaller brown/ black ones from the ponies having fun too. Then it got cooollldddd again, and shedding slowed to a standstill. Now they are all but done- slick,clean summer coats showing up- and many are dappled. 'Dappling' is a horse's way of showing the good care they are getting... We have blacks with darker dapples, pure whites with dapples, bays and more. I love it !

There are plenty of working students around now, thanks to a super article in the local newspaper about our barn and what we "do" here. The Sentinel paper called me, and a wonderful gal came out to do an interview. I felt oh so special !

http://cumberlink.com/news/local/communities/perry_county/perry-county-horse-farm-offers-students-free-opportunity-to-learn/article_9106997c-c8f4-11e3-bdac-0019bb2963f4.html

And it has prompted folks to call, enquiring about our farm - so thanks SO much to the Sentinel paper for wanting to do an article.... ( pssst- we even made front page)

My Farm & Ranch Living diary was published as well- remember last April, my mentioning how I was keeping a month long diary about the farm ? It turned out very nice and Everyone was happy to read it at long last. The photos taken by Cove Creek Photography were wonderful ( thanks Karen !)
I am SO pleased to have more folks learn about us and the fun we all have here.

The American Draft Ponies have settled in perfectly. Cherry and I have been getting to drive finally after the mud, colds and cold weather. She is SUPER, and I'm really loving having to harness small drafters than those 18 hand tall ones now. I have found that I can feed TWO draft ponies with the same amounts of feed/ hay for One draft horse. Much easier on the wallet...

We have also been riding ! Meghan is making payments to buy my black Percheron mare, Abby. Normally I wouldn't do this but those two have 'clicked' so perfectly, that it was just " meant to be". So Meg will own her own draft mare after lusting after owning a Thoroughbred gelding !  Funny how the perfect horse sometimes comes in the wrong 'body', isn't it ? Below are a couple of photos of them on the first few rides here. ( Abby knew Nothing of being ridden, but was always a driving/ show horse, so we're moving along slowly as to not let her get confused and therefore, frightened.)

Taylor and Alex ( both working students) are helping me train Cherry & Rose to be better riding ponies... Alex Loves Rosie n' Taylor has gotten real fond of Cherry. Kate adores Cherry as well. I just love them ALL. 

Below are a couple of photos of Cherry being a super-duper driving pony...

Andddddd, here's Cherry n' Taylor during a riding lesson - 

 I shall have to get some more pix of Alex riding her 'project pony' Rose.

I almost forgot to add in the newest addition to the farm :

  PIPER ! 

He is a Jack Russell 'terrorist'- 8 weeks old on May 11th, and he's been learning how to be a proper "barn buddy" for me. He Loves going to the barn and his antics make us all laugh.

And happily enough, that's about the news from WoodFinn. OTHER than having Three hens setting on lots of eggs. Harmony, Widget And Liza all have plenty of eggs to hatch, so they should at least have "small" families in a couple of weeks.

Stay tuned !!

Happy Mothers' Day !!!!

5/9/14

Tomorrow is "Mothers' Day"....Hopefully a wonderful day to show moms everywhere how much they are appreciated. Husbands, significant others, and kids are included. I can remember when my mom was still alive, it was a great day. We'd all let her sleep in, ( well til' 8 AM) fix breakfast for her and then we got to go out to a favorite restaurant for a special dinner.  All for "MoM".

There are no moms here any more for my husband & I, so Mothers' Day isn't a big deal. No kids either- but for those who come to hang out w/ horses...

BUT !  There is a reason for all of this.  I saw a cool article in the Barnmice website Just for Moms of horse crazy kids, and here it is :

http://www.barnmice.com/profiles/blogs/tribute-to-the-barn-moms   

I read it and would like to join the author of this in wishing every mom ; For all moms- whether you are a mom to a four legged animal, or dozens, whether you're a mom to two legged ones, or yeah- dozens.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!!!!!

Vaccines !

4.12.14

Last week, I gave my personal horses their first installment of spring vaccines. Everyone was fine with my giving them 'shots' and got horse cookies right afterwards... I swear, some look forward to them .
"Ok, I stood still while you poked holes in me- can I have my cookie now ???"

Abby, who for all her size and power, is the most scared of getting shots. Anything that smells the least bit of rubbing alcohol makes her nervous. This year she really was quite wonderful. ( and yes, she got her cookie ;)

The new girls, Cherry & Rose, were Very well behaved. Cherry, who wears her heart on her leg, was a little nervous about it all, but a peppermint helped her get over it. Rose ? Not a problem at all- she just stood there, gazing at what ever horses look at when asked to be still. Tomorrow, I HOPE to get at least one of these girls hitched and driving. I can't Wait !

This morning, in addition to our equine vet coming to administer vaccines, we had a reporter from a local newspaper visit. She had been asked to do an article on what we offer here and she snapped a few photos while Lynn was out in the crossties being groomed. Then we sat in the tack room and chatted about misc items going on at our farm this year. I HOPE it turns out really well and am excited to know we will get some positive advertisement too. It is so nice that folks find out about this farm as it's So different from many horse farms in the area. Here, we have fun learning- yep, I even learn some new things... and when seriousness is required, we can be serious too. Its' hard work though.

Ever since the April diary in Farm & Ranch Living magazine published the diary I kept, we have met some super folks. They have been calling or emailing to find out more of the farm, and to say how much they enjoyed the diary!  Last week, there were some fellows who stopped over- they brought a great little guy named Luke who really loved horses. I took them on a short tour of the pastures, and barn, introducing them all to the horses. Luke, being short and deformed, had a tough time seeing the Percherons, but our full view doors made it more simple for him to meet them all. It was nice that they decided to stop over.

Spring has Finally sprung here ! It's been warmer ( which feels soooooooooooo good after all of that cold) and the daffodils have bloomed by the house. The very small Holly bush is bouncing back with teeny green leaves forming. ( Lynn had been " tasting" it during the winter, and I thought it had died)  It will be fun to see all of the perennials returning too.

The hens have been wandering about, searching for worms. Yesterday, during the rains, there were a few down here actually finding some. I imagine the Robin sitting on the metal gate wasn't so happy to see someone else finding "their" worms, but the hens sure liked it.  Who ever said that chickens didn't eat "meat'' is SO incorrect ! These hen love hamburger, all sorts of bugs, and of course, the ever popular worm snacks.

Welcome April

4.8.14

Wow, the weather is Finally acting a little more like Spring here in central Pennsylvania.

Since we decided to switch from drafters to draft Ponies, life has been interesting... Draft sized items for sale, and learning just what to purchase for the two 14hh ponies. I know "what" I need, but the sizes are all different. A drafter pal of mine bought my biothane work harness for her Percherons, giving the money to order a small version of a driving harness. It was fun talking to the Amish harness shops' owner and ordering a brand spankin' new little harness for Cherry to wear. I already own one that fits Rose perfectly. It'll be so nice to not have to resize one harness for 2-3 big horses.

 Everyone has gotten past having upper respiratory problems, thanks to little Rosie bringing hers along with her when she moved in. No more troubles at all now. Boarders are leaving and others are coming- so life goes on concerning that.

There are some super gals as working students here now!  I am in heaven- no drama, no grumpies, just laughter in the barn at last. Sometimes, I wish I was independently wealthy, I wouldn't have to deal with other folks' horses then. The people who have their horses here now are simply grand- and I adore them all. So, perhaps it IS good to care for other's horses ? Ok- talked myself into it.  The BEST part of being independently wealthy would be that I wouldn't have to clean stalls any more !  Now that would be superb.

Anyhow- back to the folks at the barn... It's wonderful to have some responsible people coming here. They want to learn how to care for horses correctly,and more. So often, that part of horse keeping isn't taught- the parts like how to clean a stall the right way ( yeah- there really IS one ;) , how to correctly and efficiently groom one's horse. How to tack up and have all adjusted so the horse is comfortable as well as the rider ; just a few things that aren't well known around this area. ( All over, for that matter)  This coming May, we are holding a Driving Clinic- I hope it's not a "flop" like so many things lately. Then, during the summer, a summer morning camp.

Spring is arriving- the grass is trying to get green, the forsythia has teeny buds on it and the daffodils are up. This past winter has been so hard on this farm- and it's inhabitants, from the giant draft horses right down to the smallest hen. Speaking of hens- I removed all of the 'winterized' items a couple of weeks ago. Now, RC stands looking out the windows, waiting for me to come open their door for the day. Oh- and crowing his fool head off....

I had kept a month long diary for the month of April, for Farm & Ranch Living magazine last year, and the issue finally was published !  It turned out really well too- I was surprised at the photos chosen and how a very small amount had been changed. Everyone at the barn was thrilled to see it 'on paper' and we felt like acting like celebrities ! < big grins here>

I hope to keep up with this blog more, now that winter is over and no one is sick or getting sick. Stay tuned for more tales from me !
             
                 In the meantime- we FINALLY got the farms' sign installed  :

Anddddd, a couple of Pony Pictures !

Cherry, above

Rose above.... Apparently, Rose is competing for the 

Dirtiest Pony Award of the Week.

Now What ???

3/14/14

I like the date today....It rolls off one's tongue easily.

So far this week, LOTS has happened. One of the ponies that shipped in at TWO AM this past Saturday has a cold. It began w/ a cough similar to clearing one's throat. I took her temperature that evening, and she was 'cooking'. ( 104!!)  Called our veterinarian who told me to give her some Banamine to get her temp down, and that I could drive over to her place to get the meds and get Rose started on some antibiotics. The next AM ? Rose was hungry and met me at her stall door. She's feeling much better now, thank goodness.

Yesterday, as I was putting breakfast feed in tubs, I noticed Alli ( my ancient App mare) wasn't eating. Odd, because unless something is Very wrong Alli ALWAYS is hungry. It seemed that she had something going on with her neck... she'd not lift it up, and kept bobbing her head back towards her front legs.  ''Pain, it hurts bad !''

Soooooooooooooo , try as I might to Not have another giant vet bill, I called our vet and had her stop over on her way home that day. We were both mystified over Alli's condition and decided she must have wrenched her old self in the mud, and from having a new hoof trim on Monday...  So she'll be on bute til Sunday. This morning, she was whinnying for her breakfast, and looked MUCH happier.  YAY.

Rose also got checked out. NO chest congestion at all which was real good news! It's just a head cold, and the antibiotics will knock it but good.

Weather wise, it's been wicked cold with high winds. It blows that coldness right thru clothing. Today is supposed to reach 40 degrees, and warmer tomorrow ! Then ?  A nasty cold front with rain or snow is on it's way for next week. Personally ? I am so over winter by now, it's depressing.... < grins>

All in all, these past 3 months have been hard on us, but we've made it thru and soon it will HAVE to be warmer !

I know plenty of folks around here are anxious to have the sun out and be warmer- add me to that long list.

It is MARCH !!!

I seem to have missed February some how. Ah well, it was a miserable month, with COLD weather, lots of snow and wicked wind chills.  We are all glad to have that month out of the way.

And so it is March already. So far we have dodged one bad snow storm which hammered many other areas but not ours.  < Yay !> It has been terribly cold and windy. March is Definately coming in "like a lion'' this year.

We have kept the chickens safe n' sound, the horses happy with NO health problems at all this winter, and I don't know about you, but I am SO ready for warmer weather.  The ancients came thru winter really well too. Alli n' Chance look super.

Many changes going on here at the farm. We are getting out of Percherons, and into American Driving Ponies. These are under pony heights at 14.2 and under... they need to look like down sized drafters. We have purchased TWO black mares- who'll be arriving here this Friday. I cannot wait to see them. They are shipping in from Ohio and both ride/ drive - single n' double.  Riding/and driving lessons and shows.

So introducing Cherry- blaze & Rose ....

This is going to be a great year here at WoodFinn !

So far we're planning a Pleasure Driving Clinic, a tack cleaning day,

AND a summer pony camp for local kids.

Most of this is still in the works, but if you know of someone who'd enjoy joining us for any- give us a call !

717 567 6615

Hopefully I will stay more updated here .

Evening Feed

1.26.2014

I have always enjoyed doing evening chores at the barn- especially in winter.....  The horses have all been outside for a good part of the day, and are MORE than ready to come into the barn for dinner. Even though they've been eating hay all afternoon, still they're ready. We have had to have a 'swing shift' here due to the bitter cold, and this coming week isn't looking any better. Yuck.

We have it down to perfection, this mid winter deep freeze animal care. It's so nice to see shiny coated horses ( well, SOME who's names I won't mention - are yellowish.) warm n' cozy in our barn for the evening. The hens (and RC) are safe inside their little house - plenty of corn and fresh water for them. They have been taking dirt baths in there- so when I need to fill their little red dish up with food ? I've gotta search for it !

Glenn & I have been doing most of it all, thanks to his retirement last month. Everyone has been telling me how I'll soon be sick and tired of having a husband around ALL the time, but so far ? I like it. I enjoy the company and he's a great help too !

He gets the feed dished out if needed, and while I keep track of what horse is on it's way inside, I slide the stall doors shut. Their hay, water and feed has already been added, so they are busily feeding their horsey faces immediately.

I like doing chores when it's gently snowing the best, I believe. Reminds me of being transported back in time when people did this all the time... Quiet, and just the sounds of horses munching on hay, knowing they will all be warm and safe for the night, no matter what comes of the weather. Same with my chickens..... they are safe n' cozy in the little red & blue house also.

Ah well I just saw on the news that we're going to be in another 'deep freeze' this coming week. Temps in the -3 areas with wind chills of -25 , once again. Life does get tough when it is that cold, and one owns animals.  

It seems to me as though this is becoming a normal item for this winter, but I sure would enjoy the temperatures back into the 40's for a bit..... 

Stay warm everyone- and if you have outside pets ? Bring them in somewhere where they are protected from the terribly cold weather.

NOW Winter arrives ..............

1.22.2014

It was almost an easy winter here, but I knew better to believe that January n' February would be as kind as December had been.

We have had one "polar vortex'' that all but froze us completely.... got thru that ( with the flu, too.) and then one almost pleasant week .  But yesterday, it all began again.  LUCKILY our farm only got a few inches of snow- the kind of 'squeaky' snow that tells a person that by gosh, it's COLD outside.  This morning, however ?

HA. Minus 4 here at 8:30 AM.  Let me tell  ya- I just didn't want to go to the barn at all. Wishing I could become a 'city' person til April, I donned the long undies, heavy warm boots, and a misc. grouping of clothes to help keep me warm- off I went. EVERYthing was frozen. Ice in all water buckets, the hose in the tack room didn't want to work, and wow, it was ( still is) COLD outside.

All the equines got their heavy winter turnouts put on, and after I put out plenty of hay for them, they all got put outside. Then came the not so fun part.  Breaking Ice. My super duper help handled getting water to the outside tubs after I'd broken all of the ice out and by then, my back felt like it had put in a whole days work.

We got busy in the barn- I removed the ice, refilled buckets and plugged in the heated ones full of water. Dished out hay to the empty stalls and to my Percherons too. They were all fuzzy !  Got their stalls all cleaned and re-bedded while the other stalls were cleaned out.

Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.  All done for this morning and in a couple of hours ?  I get to go do it all over again .  Now, I like winter.  Generally speaking... but these temps ? No WAY.

Other areas of 'nearby' got hammered. Back where I came from originally had a good foot of snow !  Nooooooooooooooo thanks.  I'm content w/ what we have here now  :)

Below are a few photos I took last night.... My beloved husband dug a little trail to the barn.

Snow capped seed pods

Snowy hemlock branches:

See ? He does nice work, doesn't he ?  Thanks Glenn

No so much snow here :

Sadie n' Paddy happily snuggled in :

What Happened to The Horse Kids ????

1/18/14

Back when I was a little girl, I LOVED horses. I would do Anything to be around them..... Unhappily I did not grow up in so called "horse country", I just grew up in the country.There were few to no horses with in walking distance or even on my bicycle . I had to entertain my growing passion for horses via books, tv, and the occasional horse that someone would ride by our house on. I knew horses were around because I'd see the shoe marks  left as one had passed by.

After becoming an adult, there were Always horse loving kids who'd hang out at my barn. They'd be eager to learn- doing anything to be around the horses. There have been quite a few who have gone on to become proficient at showing and training that they had learned from me.

So, zoom forward to January 2014... WHAT happened to all of those horse crazy kids who'd be at the barn by dawn ? What happened to those kids that ate, breathed, and dreamed "horses" ? I don't know....

Perhaps the teenagers of today have gotten incredibly lazy, wanting things handed to them on a silver platter ( there are some here from championships but I'm not handing anything out on those!). These teenagers, and kids don't want to be at the barn when it is :   too hot, rainy, too cold,or when anything negative is happening with the weather outside.  Nope- they don't seem to care that horses need 24/7 care no matter What it's doing outside. 'Let someone else do it ' seems to be their thoughts.

Are their parents partly to blame - not wanting to get up, and dressed to drive their child to 'the barn' ?  Are they the ones telling their child that " they don't drive in This Weather" ?  Or that it's "too cold" or 'too hot" ??  Are they the ones teaching their youngsters that horses are merely part time ? That is is alright to not bother calling to let the barn manager know that something "more fun" came up and they wouldn't be there that day ? Do they even care if this "no show" routine destroys someone elses' day because they cannot be counted on ?

Or ,are the so called horse crazy ones of today
simply not caring enough to be there when it counts?
When their horse is not feeling well, or is lame or what ever.

I am finding this to be true. We offer free lessons to those who would like to trade time/ labor for learning. Do the kids / young adults want to come ? Sure, so long as it's a nice warm sunny day out. Otherwise ? Nooooooooooooooway.

So, here's to those who Did slave away at someone elses' barn - as a youngster or adult. Thank you for being available when it was snowing, raining,freezing cold or blistering hot..... for working along side another true horse person, and learning, learning, learning.

Here's to the REAL horse folks !

Breeze Gets Bridled.

1.18.2014

The other evening, as I was cleaning the three Percheron stalls, I was thinking about finding that teeny little snaffle bit that had been stored away for decades. It was for my very first horse ( notice- HORSE.... not a pony) and he quickly outgrew it. I kept it, being the sentimental fool that I am. Over the years, it got moved along with all of my other riding horse equipment from house to house- farm to farm. Each time I cleaned/ conditioned all of the other bits and leather, it got cleaned and polished, even though it hadn't been used.

There was one wee pony that wore it for a little while while he was being trained. He was sold, and the teeny snaffle once again was stored away. ''For what'', I'd sometimes wonder to myself...

Then last year a small VERY scared Hackney pony came into my life. Breeze. I've gotten her to the point where she wears her ( teeny) turnout blanket easily, and we can Almost pick up all feet without too much panic.

Back to the other evening.  I thought about that ever so small snaffle bit, and wondered if it might fit Breeze. It has large loose rings on it, and might just fit her fine ! Once finished all the evening chores, I began digging thru tack trunks. I had to uncover the one first- but underneath alllll the saddle pads, martingales,english bridles I most likely would never use again- was the BIT. It had a small nylon headstall on it still from when I'd used it last. Nylon is good because it's easily adjusted with the poke of a hot nail.

Breeze got to check it out, sniffing it carefully- and showing no fear of Something New. So, I slipped it on over her halter... didn't fit really well because Breeze needs to have her mohawk bridlepath clipped again. She was very patient with me as I made the headstall longer and more comfy for her. Wow- I expected a BIG flight instinct to kick in concerning those little Hackney ears, but no- nothing.

I kept telling her what a Wonderful Pony she was and how brilliant she looked with the bit on.She let me take it off and re-bridle her twice with no trouble at all. She knew what had happened, and after a little of the infamous " blah,blah, blah" of the mouth , she settled in , quite at ease. Perhaps my little bit of a pony has been trained- even if so slightly !

Will she keep moving forward in all of this driving stuff ? I sure hope so.... I've Always wanted to drive a Hackney, and if it's a little shorter than others, so be it.

Happy New Years, belated.

1.10.2014

Well, we about missed both of these holidays. Christmas was quite and peaceful. I can't wait to go 'treasure hunting' with my gift of a metal detector !  Ever since, the ground has been frozen solid.... And even if I DID "find" anything, there's no way to dig it up. Kind of like getting a sled for Christmas and have the weather hold steady at 40 degrees.  Ahhhhhhhhhh, spring will be here soon enough and THEN perhaps I can go treasure hunting??

We had a big black guest visiting here. She stayed for a week, during the PA Farm Show ( which is a glorified State Fair held in January), so her owners didn't have to travel back n' forth to their barn to feed/water just one mare. Cady was great fun to have here but wow, does she demand to be fed FIRST !!!!   Adding one more stall to be cleaned certainly made a difference here.

We both got hit with a wicked flu bug over New Years day, and are still coughing, sniffling,etc but are feeling better each day. Like all horse women- I don't have the luxury of staying in bed to get better. Nope- twice daily trips to the barn sweating out where it was often below freezing sure is not good towards getting over being sick.  But, I AM getting better at long last.

The Girls did fine this week when we had the so called "polar vortex" . Oh my word- it was SO COLD, my camera told me there was no way in hades it was taking any photos. Between the couple of gals who got here to help out, we got everyone cared for. When it was finally warm enough to let the hens n' RC  out, oh my, did they all run around like crazy.  Some held their wings up , running all over, some just wandered about, looking for bugs ( no bugs, sorry) or simply running, zig-zagging all over the area. Two almost ran into each other . RC just stood up in the doorway, crowing for all he was worth. He responds to anything that makes noise, and the crowing begins. Again- "eraser' brains'' strike again.  All in all, they are all fine and I Think have finally stopped molting. What IS it with chickens and molting so late in the year ?  I had more bald hinied hens around ! I felt bad for Liza who lost a LOT of her gorgeous speckled feathers . She's back to being gorgeous again , happily for her.


That's it for this time. I hope everyone has survived their holidays, and are looking forward to what 2014 has to dish out.  Here, I'm looking forward to a lot of different things- mostly "horsey" .